iCloud Messages using WAY more storage on phone than in iCloud

Question

iCloud Messages using WAY more storage on phone than in iCloud

My daughter's iPhone is running out of storage space.

Looking in the iPhone Storage settings, we see that Messages is using 30GB of storage.

She has iCloud Messages turned on but it's only using 4GB of storage in the cloud!

There is plenty of free space (2TB family plan) free on iCloud.

How can we get her Messages to push her data to the cloud and free up space on her phone?

(For comparison, my own on-phone Messages storage is the opposite, with 5x more storage in iCloud than on the phone, which is what I expected.)

iPhone XR

Posted on May 22, 2022 7:02 AM

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Answer 1

JovonaP.

Community Specialist

May 23, 2022 9:50 AM in response to deanblackketter

Hello deanblackketter,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities. When Using Messages with iCloud the messages aren't moved to iCloud. Instead this allows you to access messages across devices signed in with the same Apple ID. This feature won't clear up storage your daughter's iPhone. The steps in the following resource can help with making space on the iPhone: How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

We also want to make sure iCloud Messages is working with the iPhone as expected. Do all messages appear on other devices signed in with the same Apple ID?

Have a nice day!

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Answer 2

May 23, 2022 10:16 AM in response to JovonaP.

Thanks, JonovaP, but I'm not sure that's right. Apple's own support page says: "Here's how it works

When you turn on Messages in iCloud, your message history is updated automatically on all of your devices. That way, you always have the same view everywhere you use iMessage. When you delete a message, photo, or conversation on one device, it’s removed from all of your devices. And since all of your attachments are stored in iCloud, you can save space on your device."

Her account shows only 4GB of iCloud storage used, but 30GB used on her phone, so much of it is not backed up to the cloud.

My own account seems to be working correctly (29GB on iCloud, 5GB on the phone).

Is there any way to reset the iCloud messages syncing without losing any data?

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Answer 3

Sparks0829

Community Specialist

May 23, 2022 10:24 AM in response to deanblackketter

deanblackketter,

Our apologies for the confusion. We'd like to learn more to see how we can help.

Did your daughter recently turn on Messages for iCloud? Is her device connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network with good signal strength? Which iOS version is listed in Settings > General > About? Is Low Power Mode turned on in Settings > Battery?

Send over these details, and we'll take a closer look.

Cheers!

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iCloud Messages using WAY more storage on phone than in iCloud

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